“Best Of” Wrapup and a Special Request

Well, last night was the “Best of the 48 Hour Film Project” screening, and I have to say it was a blast. Seeing “All Roads Lead Away” up on the big screen in high definition was an awe-inspiring experience. Once again, we were shut out of the major awards, but regardless, I’m immensely proud of our movie and extremely grateful for all of the hard work everyone put into making it.

I’m sure they’ll post the award-winners on the official site soon, but I thought I’d go ahead and let you all know directly. They should all be viewable on 48.tv sometime in the not-too-distant future, but I’ll post links to the ones that are already viewable online (as near as I can tell, anyway).

• Audience Favorite, Group A: “The End” (Flat Feet Films)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group B: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group C: “Fairy Bust” (3mm Films)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group D: “Skip to the End” (JSC Productions)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group E: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group F: “Get Closer” (Dead City Films)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group G: “iLoveU2” (WIT Films)
  
• Audience Favorite, Group H: “Mementos” (Integral Arts)
  
• Best Use of Character: “The End of the Rainbow” (Musky Adventures)
  
• Best Use of Prop: “Spy, Gina, Spy!” (The Quest)
  
• Best Use of Line: “The Loins of America” (Has Been Productions)
  
• Best Sound Design: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
  
• Best Graphics: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
  
• Best Editing: “May Day” (Oozing Sarcasm)
  
• Best Acting: “Mementos” (Integral Arts)
  
• Best Directing: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
  
• Best Script: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)
  
• Best Cinematography (tie): “American Revolution” (Roanoke) and “Get Closer” (Dead City Films)
  
• Second Runner-Up, Best Picture: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
  
• First Runner-Up, Best Picture: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
  
• Best Picture: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)
  

Now for a request: As many of you are aware, we had to cut a lot of material (more than two minutes’ worth) from “All Roads Lead Away” in order to keep our running time under the seven-minute limit. And while normally I’m a big fan of that forced editing — it almost always makes for a tighter, better-paced film — in this case I fear we may have trimmed a bit too much. With that in mind, I’ve posted both the original 48 Hour Film Project cut and a somewhat longer cut that reincorporates some (but not all) of the lost material on the official site.

And I figured what better “test audience” to provide honest feedback than this group?

So if you get a chance, take a look at both versions with a critical eye. Do the new and extended scenes add to your understanding and appreciation of the story, or do they drag the pacing down? Do they add genuine character moments or are they mere directorial self-indulgence? Consider this a “director’s-cut-in-progress,” and one in which your reactions may have an impact.

For our final “archival” cut (i.e., the version we’ll be submitting to festivals) we may go with the full extended edit. Or we may keep to the original shorter cut. Or something in between. So go ahead and let your opinion be heard — at the very least you’ll be getting a glimpse into the filmmaking process.